I'm having trouble with the bent-over barbell row. I reached 135lb with good form and stopped there. Even at 135lb, I feel that form is compromised particularly because the position I have to hold. It feels TONS less like a horizontal pull exercise and more like a-little-bit-of-everything exercise compared to a row on a pulley system. My half-rack+pulley was sold in favor of a full-rack with new equipment.

The simplest solution is to just do weighted chins on both days. Would that neglect back development in absence of a horizontal pull?

_________________Stu Ward_________________Let thy food be thy medicine, and thy medicine be thy food.~HippocratesStrength is the adaptation that leads to all other adaptations that you really care about - Charles Staley_________________Thanks TimD

Stuward, for a long time now I've had an issue doing chins with a pronated or supinated grip. Will a neutral grip work just as well? I have a feeling I won't be able to complete enough decent reps.

Matt, bar makes contact sort of in between (below the chest). Slightly wider than should-width grip.

Robert, good to see you! Few things.- I have Quicklocks by Ironmaster (I swear by them--solid as a rock!). They go up to 120lb (there's a cool youtube clip of Lee Priest working with the 120lb Quicklocks). Any nuances re: form and what to look out for to get the most out of the DB row?

- Very interesting row variations. Is it "good form" in the clips? Because what I see is similar to my problem. With the heavy bent-over row, I'm so focused on balance, lumbar, and neck (in neutral) that for the last rep or two I simply jerk it up (ala 1st clip). Also, I think my biceps simply give as they are under constant tension in a way that feels more tolling compared to a cable row.I'm not sure about this point: All that jumping, jerking, and shortening the ROM (back goes up with the weight?) feels like cheating, no? Cable rows are dynamic, so there is inertia in play as well, but they still never felt like cheating. Maybe I'm missing something.

You could try standing at a 45-degree angle and pulling the bar to your waist so that the bar travels from the tops of your knees to your hips brushing your quads the whole way. You can do these overhand or underhand, The underhand variation is often referred to as a Yates Row.

Stuward, for a long time now I've had an issue doing chins with a pronated or supinated grip. Will a neutral grip work just as well? I have a feeling I won't be able to complete enough decent reps....

Neutral grip will tuck in your elbows and you wouldn't get the same movement. It's only in a wide grip, you will get the shoulder blades coming together (scapular retraction). The row variations that Robert and Matt are talking about will be better.

_________________Stu Ward_________________Let thy food be thy medicine, and thy medicine be thy food.~HippocratesStrength is the adaptation that leads to all other adaptations that you really care about - Charles Staley_________________Thanks TimD

the videos I posted wouldn't necessarily be described as textbook form, however very few bodybuilders really use textbook form on things like rows. You'll notice the guy in the video braces himself against his knee, so the jerk he's doing is more lower back friendly than if it was just a regular barbell row.

as for the dumbell row, just make sure you have a good arch in your back when you're doing them. If you let your upper back cave over each rep you do will actually reinforce bad posture, which is the exact opposite of what you want. So just remember: back arched, and really concentrate on pulling your shoulderblade back and down.

one last tip, if you're feeling your rows in your biceps, concentrate on leading the movement with your elbows. Your biceps are just along for the ride. If that doesn't help (it should) then try a thumbless grip.

Slight jerk is fine as long as you pull your shoulders back and control the weight down. Thats about it :)

As for alternatives:

Hammer Strength Row machine: theres isnt really any better options when you want to train lats, traps, arms equally. Takes the low back almost completely out of the picture and arms are usually worked individually so it will balance out left/right.

Power Clean/Hang Power Clean: Stop worrying just lift and profit-exercise. Should be in every full body routine out there.

i was also stalling at standard BB rows some months ago. then i switched to Pendlay Rows (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZlRrIsoDpKg) and never really stalled again. did you try those? very simple, but effective.

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